HOUSTON — A fire at a chemical plant about 30 miles south of Dallas sent massive plumes of black smoke and bright orange flames spiraling into the sky Monday, forcing workers to evacuate, as well as nearby schools and businesses.
No one was killed or injured in the blaze, which destroyed the plant.
The fire started as workers at the Magnablend Inc. facility in Waxaha chie were mixing chemicals in a 7,000-gallon vat, according to Waxahachie Fire Chief David Hudgins.
“It was something they would normally do,” Hudgins said. “We don’t know if they got it out of kilter or what.”
Hudgins said the workers noticed an abnormal smoke plume near the vat, then paperlike debris started falling on them. They alerted firefighters and evacuated, he said.
By the time firefighters arrived minutes later, flames already had burned through the back wall of the plant, Hudgins said. He said firefighters tried to cut the flames off and save the building, but liquid chemicals started flowing under the doors and flames spread, engulfing a firetruck and threatening seven nearby rail cars. The rail cars did not burn, he said.
Hudgins said he was working with officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to check the impact of the fire on air and water. He said they assured him late Monday that they had found “nothing significant from the air monitoring.”
